Hello and welcome to this weeks SOS.
I missed last week because I worked some overtime at work. Also with the shorter days it gets more difficult taking photo’s in the dark.
The weekend has started with Storm Callum but we have missed the worse of the wof the weather. After the dry summer and the pain of watering almost every night I shouldn’t complain but the weather at the moment is either a feast or a famine and who knows what tbe future will bring if you read some of the recent news articles on global warming.
A couple of weekends ago I went up to Branklyn Gardens in Perth to see the autun colours and I was not dissapointed. The range of browns, yellow, red an orange leaves was breathtaking and as always it is nice to look at the wide range of plants from around the world and get some different ideas for my garden. I had to go up to Dundee yesterday and drive past Perth and the way the colours have changed in two weeks was astounding. Autumn is truly a magical season just a pity at times it is wet, windy and cold.
Here is my SOS
1. Orostachys Iwarenge var boehmeri.
I am becomimg a little bit obsessed with this plant. Also know as Chines Dunces Cap the combination between blue/grey rossettes, tall flower spikes with white flowers with a delicate yellow/green entre. If I can find a dryisb corner of the garden to put this over the winter hopefully it will survive.
2. Lewisia flowering in October
With the hot weather this week this Lewisia has sprung into life again. This one is a wonderful colour of subtle yellow. Alot of plants have started flowering again this week coreopsis, Lavender, salvia and violas.
3. Aeoniums
I have amassed a number of Aeoniums this year. From top to bottom we have Decorum, Balsamiferum and Leucoblepherum. Over the past few weeks the Aeoniums have really sparked into life. All have had a growth spurt and the leaves have taking on a waxy gleam. Most of them are half hardy and I will be overwinter most of them in the shed as they do go dormant over winter. The bottom one Leucoblepherum is native to Yemen and surrounding areas. This plant was eaten by something July and was lokking sorry for itself but thankfully it has bounced back.
4. Succulent cold frame
As I live in a small flat most of my ever growing succulent collection is going to have to stay in the garden. Luckily the garden is sheletered on every side and as Bereick is on tbe coast we do not get as hard a frost as inland. However as the Beast from the East proved you can never be to careful. I have insulated the cold frame with foam pads I have salvaged from work and have put a layer of 2 on the bottom to protect them from the cold paving slabs. As you can see by this photo my addiction is as rampant as ever!
5. Flamingo flower (Anthrium)
I don’t really do house plants but during tbe short days of last autumn I bought this Anthrium in Morrisons and it has been somewhat of a triffid. It gets watered once a week and the only time it nas been fed is when I repotted it into new compost. The only compost I ever use is Westlands Jack Magic. It is seaweed base and all sorts of plants seem to thrive on it. Of course I add sand for my succulents to help the drainage but some sites teĺl you not to use an over rich compost for succulents but I do the opposite with great results.
6. Branklyn Gardens isn’t nature wonderful.
I took many photo’s when I was at Branklyn Gardens but this photo of a Tibetan Cherry tree caught my attention. I am sure it will become one of the most taken photo’s at the garden.
Well that is my SOS. I am off to stare out of the window waiting for the rain to stop.
Enjoy your weekend.
As always to find out how six on Saturday works please follow the following link The Propagator. The don of Six on Saturday
Sedums, Dahlias and Hayfever 
Your featured photo is really cool! As for aeonium, it’s the week because a topic from my Six explains the number of cuttings I’ve had … I can give some !
I’ll also spend overwinter them indoors with succulents and cacti because I don’t have a frost free cold frame.
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To be honest Fred I don’t know if I have a frost free cold frame yet..
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You are building quite the collection! They are taking over. A few later of fleece over them.to be sure perhaps.
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Yes going to price some fleece today.
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Lewisia is lovely. I had one in my garden last year, but overwatered it and it died. Probably too hot for it in the summer anyway. I like the Chinese Dunces Cap too.
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We find that getting succulents pretty dry and hard and mean before the winter makes them more cold hardy, ours won’t get water again until early spring. It seems cruel but its for their own good.
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Your love of sedums and sempervivums shines through this post. My Aeoniums (Zwartkop) are still outside though I am not sure they are loving this stormy weather. They are huddled under the patio table at the moment, waiting for the conservatory roof to be completed before I bring them indoors for the winter. Still very mild outdoors at the moment. The Anthurium looks splendid and a lovely cheerful houseplant. Now that would look lovely in the conservatory.
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You are to succulents what Mr Prop is to everything else – you just can’t resist acquiring more. You must have a very irregularly-shaped garden as you must now need about 50 corners in which to overwinter plants. Perhaps you need to add cloches to your shopping list – the fleece for warmth and cloches to keep off the winter wet.
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I know the way I am going to need to make lans and changes the way my obsession is going. I do however have a get out this year as my sister is moving into a temporary house with a greenhouse so if need be I can always put some in here this year.
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That cherry is not looking good. I know what big cuts like that mean. The tree is probably near the end of its life span. I am doing the same to a pair of Yoshino cherries at work. This may be the last winter for one of them. They go bare in autumn, and every spring, there is a little less that blooms and refoliates. The one that I suspect will not survive has a plump but stout trunk, but only a few viable stems remaining. The trees are very old. No one is old enough to remember them not being there. It will be very sad when they must be removed. I will do it myself because I want them to get a proper and dignified . . . burial . . . or whatever they will get. The remaining trunk will get cut and split into firewood for the fireplace in the ‘Central Lounge’ next door, because I can not bear to put it in the greenwaste pile for recycling.
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I can see why you are obsessed with your Chinese dunce’s cap – what an interesting plant!
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It’s a great obsession to have and your coldframe looks very smart. Each time you introduce us to new varieties I covet them. My small collection is going to have to take its chance in the unheated glasshouse with fleece if it gets very cold.
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